CBB Stock Market - March 1st-2nd

Looking for something else on Sports News on Tap, I found a gem called 'CBB Stock Market' which highlighted what happened on the weekend of college hoops. Sometimes I will use this space for a longer form recap, but mostly, it will be a subheading.

BUY BUY BUY 

Arizona Wildcats - College basketball along with other sports lead to jumping on and off the bandwagon of teams. Arizona... I was on for most of the year and then fell off with Brandon Ashley breaking his foot and now I am back on the wagon!! Nick Johnson is playing at a high level with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson doing some big things inside as well. They are running at a high motor right now and it is very impressive to say the least. In the last three games, Arizona is averaging 84 points a game with wins against Colorado, California and Stanford. They finish tricky with two road games to Oregon where a loss might be possible. If they win these ones, they are a clear one seed in my mind.

Wichita State Shockers - This team is receiving a ton of criticism right now, but they deserve credit. Winning 31 straight games is damn impressive. Who cares they have a weak strength of schedule right now. Can't we just have Wichita State's regular season separated from what they do in the postseason. If they win a couple games in the postseason, I think it is a good season. I realize people think they should not be a one seed and a post is probably coming up about this during the week, but short and sweet, they 100 percent deserve a one seed. Strength of Schedule is important, but it is not the only important stat out there. If the conference tournaments go chalk, we might need a little more of a discussion.

Big 12 = Best Conference - I know people around here want to say the Big Ten, and while I think the conference is very unpredictable, I still think the Big 12 holds the crown. They are like a sandwich with great meat and a good top meat with a soggy bottom. TCU is a godawful basketball program, but other than that, this conference is loaded with talent. Yes Kansas won their 10th straight title, but this conference is nine deep with talent. It will be a hell of a conference tournament with many of them vying for a better position or a spot in the Big Dance.

HOLD HOLD HOLD

Saint Louis Billikens - I would not make a big deal about Saint Louis dropping two games this week. They won 19 straight games, fell into a trap against Duquense and lost at one of the toughest gyms in the nation with VCU. They do not have an easy finish to the season as the Billikens take on Dayton at home then a road trip to UMass. Both of those teams need wins when it comes to the tournament. Saint Louis should be able to rite this ship.

SELL SELL SELL 

Michigan State Spartans - Remember what I said about bandwagons? Yeah I am completely off Michigan State's. They do not lose to Illinois at home and expect to be a Final Four team. It feels like this team does not have the chemistry you would expect them to have with seniors like Adrein Payne and Keith Appling. But with all the injuries Michigan State had this year, the Spartans have not put it all together. Would I get back on the wagon if Sparty made a run in the Big Ten Tournament? You bet your ass. Right now, this team is a bit questionable.

Kentucky Wildcats - Another team I am completely off. I went from thinking this is a team that could either lose in the first round or the Elite Eight to being a team that is completely lost right now. John Calipari gets kicked out of the game when his team may have needed him the most trailing South Carolina in a game no NCAA Tournament team should lose on any given Saturday. Kentucky is lost right now, and I do not know what it will take for them to fix things. It does seem like the correct narrative is 'If the Harrison Twins are on, this is a good team.'  But the other narrative is they do not have one strong defender on that roster which is definitely true too.

Ohio State Buckeyes - I am totally out here. This team should be so much better than what they are right now. Ohio State is loaded full of strong talent yet they cannot figure it on the offensive end. Buckeyes dropped road games to Penn State and Indiana this week. In the last five games, Ohio State has averaged 64 points a game. They have two scorers and that's it. If the Buckeyes do not get a third scorer whether it is Aaron Craft, Sam Thompson or Shannon Scott, they will continue to lose basketball games.

Ted Valentine... In General - Can he retire please?  

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 

Tuesday: 13. Creighton at Georgetown 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1, 16. Iowa State at Baylor 6:00 pm ESPN2

               

Wednesday: 11. Louisville at SMU 6:00 pm CBS Sports Network 

                     Dayton at 17. Saint Louis 8:00 pm CBS Sports Network, 

                     3. Arizona at Oregon State 10:00 pm FOX Sports 1

Thursday: 6. Villanova at Xavier 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1, 20. Memphis at 15. Cincinnati 6:00 pm ESPN

                22. Iowa at 24. Michigan State 8:00 pm ESPN 

Charlie. 

Wisconsin Continues Its Losing Ways

When Wisconsin began the season undefeated, the expectations for this team were sky high. Many people
started dancing around the idea of them playing the first two rounds in Milwaukee, and maybe having their best chance to get Badgers head coach Bo Ryan's first Final Four. ESPN's analyst Jay Williams went as far to pick them to win the National Championship. Since then, Badgers have dropped five out of their last six games including three straight losses at home. While it has not been all roses for Wisconsin during Ryan's tenure, it has never been this tense with a team heading towards the brink.

On Saturday, Wisconsin seemed to have Ohio State right where they wanted them. Ohio State is dealing with their own issues, and Badgers led by six points with six minutes left to go in the game. Frank Kaminksy had made a layup, and then Nigel Hayes had a chance to put Wisconsin up eight with two free throws. Hayes would miss both of them, but Kaminsky would get an offensive rebound yet he would not score. In fact, Wisconsin would only have four points the rest of game along with not a single field goal. It also did not help the Badgers could not hit a free-throw to save their life, one of the sneaky things that occasionally troubles Wisconsin.

In the second half, Badgers missed eight free throws in a game where Ohio State won by one point. For the game, Wisconsin missed 10 free throws overall. With how good Hayes was in this basketball game, he still missed five free throws in the game. There is no question Hayes played a big part in keeping Wisconsin in the game and helped them gain a lead but five missed free throws are a major killer. We made mention about how Wisconsin needs to get more free throws if they are not hitting three-pointer shots which they did as they got to line 29 times... But they need to make more than 19.

When it comes to Wisconsin's lack of scoring down the stretch, some might point to the lack of minutes Sam Dekker received late in the game. Before the Ohio State game, Dekker averaged 33.1 minutes a game during Big Ten conference play. He had a season-low in points, season-low in minutes with 19 and once again for the second straight game, only shot six times from the field. Hayes came off the bench to have 17 points, but Ryan decided to not play Dekker and Hayes at the same time. While they play the same position, there is no reason Dekker could not have played the three or the five for that matter creating a bigger lineup. Did Dekker's comments to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have something to do with his lack of minutes Saturday?

It felt like a real life subtweet from Ryan to Dekker. He basically sat him down and did not play him as much almost sending a vindictive message that 'This kind of shit will not be tolerated by the Wisconsin program, keep your mouth shut, leave it to me to send messages through the media.' Is this bullshit? Absolutely. Dekker should have the freedom to take a leadership role on this team when Wisconsin is lacking one right now in the worst way. Traevon Jackson is not a leader as a point guard. He does not command team so why can't Dekker be the leader?  Because he is a sophomore?  Ryan may have cost the Badgers a victory on Saturday to send a message.

Wisconsin heads to Champaign on Wednesday to play a team they beat by 25 points earlier this season when the Badgers were rolling as unit. They feel more divided than ever before so who knows what the expectation should be for this game. They will need to figure something out quickly because the Big Ten season is not getting any easier.

Charlie.

Closing Time: Nike's CBB Throwbacks are Awesome

God bless ya Nike. They are not buying into the sleeved jerseys as that is Adidas' baby and that's perfectly okay with me. They decide to go old school with some of their biggest teams on the roster as Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke, Ohio State, Oregon, Syracuse, and North Carolina all get new jerseys. Spartans are the only ones where the jersey is actually new as Nike is still trying to make bronze happen with Sparty. I do not know if I like Syracuse's or Ohio State's the best. Both are very slick, and I do not mind the shorts being a different color. I also love North Carolina going back to the heel on the short plus the Carolina blue triangle running up the short. All of theses are great. Good night Tappers. (H/T @nikebasketball) 

Charlie.

Stone-Cold Shooting leads to a Wisconsin Stunner

It appeared like Wisconsin figured out a way to reverse their fortunes in the Big Ten. Taking down Purdue on the road beating them by double-digits and doing things completely different than the last three losses made things seem encouraging for the Badgers basketball team. On Wednesday, nothing seemed the same as Wisconsin turned in its worst performance of the year by losing to Northwestern at home, 65-56. Badgers turned in a putrid offensive performance combined with terrible perimeter defense plus raising the question, has the Kohl Center lost its luster?

Unlike previous years, Wisconsin has been a prolific offense with a team full of 3-point shooters whom can fill up the tin at will.  Even if they are not making their threes, the offense does not usually revert back to the days of Dick Bennett where 55 points would win you the game. Last night against Northwestern, this offense looked like a complete mess. Badgers shot a stunning 15/57 from the field, going 5/24 from three as well. According to KenPom, Northwestern holds the eleventh best defense in the nation, but at the same time, Wisconsin seems like to have the players to figure them out yet that did not happen as Wisconsin had only 39 points with five minutes left in the game. For reference, Wisconsin had 40 points at halftime in their first game against the Wildcats.

Sam Dekker disappeared last night, and that is something Wisconsin cannot have whatsoever. Dekker got to the free-throw line which is a bright spot, but the fact he only took six shots is concerning. He cannot become a ghost in this offense. Even though Wisconsin has five starters who can score, Dekker is the piece that makes everything go in the offense. What did not help either is bad Traevon Jackson came out to play as his inconsistent campaign continued for the Badgers. Jackson went 2/12 with only four assists. Wisconsin as a whole, only had 10 assists for the game. When there are bad shooting nights usually a lack of assists can tell the story.

Wisconsin's defense did not play much better than the offense especially in the second half.  Northwestern had 43 points in the second half, and there are some games where that would be the Wildcats' output for the entire game. Much of it had to do with Northwestern getting open shots on the perimeter. They shot 43 percent from three including having other open looks due to ball-screening Wisconsin to death creating open shots for Drew Crawford and others. Crawford had a great game for the Cats going 10/15 from the field and ended up with 30 points. If Wisconsin's defense is having troubles with Northwestern's 311th ranked offense, they could be in some serious trouble.

It is worth having a discussion about the Kohl Center and luster of it being one of the 'toughest places to play in college basketball.'  There was a time in previous years where Badgers were nearly a lock to win at home no matter the opponent. This is Northwestern's first win at the Kohl Center... ever. They were 0-13 and had not won in Madison since 1996. I do not know if teams are not intimidated anymore by Kohl or the lower bowl fans excluding the students are not as loud as they used to be. That was a problem for Marquette during different seasons and runs because there is an expectation that every home win would be a victory. We shall see how other teams will handle Kohl this season.

Wisconsin heads to Ohio State this weekend where the Buckeyes are also at a crossroads after losing to Penn State at home last night. Both teams are in a must-win situation making this game very critical for each team, but thankfully, Wisconsin will be playing in front of their home crowd. Hopefully, they can get up for the most important game of the season thus far.

Charlie.

Dear NCAA, Pay The Kids

College sports are a hell of a lot of fun. The intensity and electricity that packs arenas, stadiums and ballparks nationwide is virtually unmatched. It mounts competition between 18-23 year old kids whom showcase their talent, skills and hard work at the highest level an amateur can compete at.

There is nothing quite like it. They are only playing because they absolutely love what they are playing. If they did not love it, it would not be worth it, because about 90 percent of what college athletes have to deal with is complete garbage in my opinion I really cannot stand it at all. The garbage I speak of, sparks a hot conversation of debate, should college athletes be paid? A simple question, without a simple answer.

The main argument (that I have heard) as to why student-athletes should not be paid is because said kids are receiving education from high-end universities (Here is the kicker) for free. And not only for free, but many times with perks that most students could not dream of as the school helps out with meal plans, mopeds, iPads, Brand name gear whether it be Nike, adidas or Under Armour and other related things. These athletes also get the opportunity to travel around and see many parts of the country on university dime. As a person that has been mainly planted in the Midwest, I would kill for the opportunity to get to fly around and see other parts of the country. Much less have someone else pay for it.

In some situations, these people are treated like immortals, and receive notoriety that most 20-something-years-olds could never imagine. At schools like Alabama, Texas, Duke and Ohio State, co-eds and grown men and women will bend over backwards for opportunities to help these guys and girls. All the enabling creates an environment that kids, who are no longer the “typical college student," can easily take advantage of certain normal things. This, of course, leads to the other stereotype that most student-athletes are not going to class or doing any schoolwork whatsoever. It is my opinion that they put in more of a school effort than what is perceived, but you hear rumors of Morris Claiborne showing up for class, day one of the semester at LSU, and then never returning to class again, yet like clockwork, he passed for nothing.

Whatever the case, I still feel like these kids are getting cheated.  And I mean cheated big time.

First, simply paying for school is not enough because of the massive time commitment these kids are giving on a daily basis. They are supposed to be student-athletes. Emphasis on student. But in reality, a lot of these kids are giving 50-60 hours per week to sports alone. This leaves little time for the students to complete schoolwork that they are required to be passing in order to keep competing. On a conservative scale, it is said that college students should spend an average of two hours per credit outside of class studying. So a 12-credit semester would result in 12-in-class hours, plus another 24-hours out of class, devoted to studies per week.So the average student will dedicate 36-hours per week on school. But then the athlete will have to do that, plus an additional 50 hours (give or take some either way) on activities related to their sports. At this point, we are talking 86 hours or 3.5 days out of their week that are already being completely spoken for already without considering simple things like eating, driving and sleeping.

Considering I get tired after a day of school and my retail job which involves usually no physical activity at all, I cannot imagine how tired these guys are after school, the mental tutoring of their sport, practice and  occasionally their workout. I know I would be wiped, and because of this I am going to go out on a limb and say some of these kids are getting decent sleep therefore I am giving these men and women an average of five hours of sleep per night. We are now (factoring sleep time in) up to five days of their schedule completely spoken for already. 

I mean, maybe I am crazy[1], but I think that the college years are hugely influential when trying to figure out who the hell you are and what you want to be. In my experience, people need time to figure out what is going to matter to them in life. And if you only have 47 hours, spread out sporadically in between the intense day-to-day activities that are intertwined with major cutthroat athletics, it becomes hard for these kids to find themselves.

In my opinion, the lack of free time makes a lot of these people one-dimensional. They are being systematically trained to behave a certain way, and often times the behavior that is being exemplified is not necessarily something that is going to help out these student-athletes long-term. What good does knowing how to systematically break down a “cover-3” do for someone who is now trying to tell you how to manage your money? Or how does knowing the ins and outs of perfect diving techniques do for someone that is now trying to sell real estate? Does this person even really care about real estate?

What I mean is that, most of these people will not go on to be professional athletes, but until they officially do not make the next league, all they have known their whole lives is that sport. To have that label stripped of them so suddenly, I think is somewhat of a culture shock. If they are lucky they graduate with a degree in something, but is that even what they really love? Do they want to be that? Or did they use it as a placeholder when they were still chasing their real dreams of athletics. Once again, my point is while normal college kids have the time to tinker around and try out different routes and gain real world experiences that help shape who they are, college athletes have a route that is already semi-paved for them, and it it starts and ends on the playing field.

But then things really get crazy. As if the sacrifice of 86 mental and physical taxing hours were not enough, they also have to endure the pressure of making sure their coach keeps his or her job… and in some cases, their boat too.

After Johnny Manziel went OVO on everyone last year and won the Heisman trophy, his coach, Kevin
Sumlin, received a 1.1 million dollar raise (he now makes 3.1 million per year). Meanwhile, Johnny got in trouble for signing his name on some footballs. Alabama's Nick Saban is now getting paid an absurd seven million dollars per year to coach amateur football. Tom Izzo is making 3.5 million per season to man the pine at Michigan State and Carol Hutchins, the women’s softball coach at the University of Michigan, makes $200,000 per year. These coaches do not only thoroughly enjoy their jobs and the high paying perks that they sometimes carry, but also to show the competitiveness that college athletics produces among non-athletes.

College athletics are actually a job for thousands of people. A high paying job at that. And yet the moneymakers themselves (the athletes), get nothing but the pressures the coaches apply on them to keep winning. And if they do not keep win, the coach will only make matters more intense. When a college program starts failing, it gets awkward for the players. When losing, the media scrutiny heightens, thus putting more pressure on the coach to succeed. If he continues to fail, then the players, who put all their good faith in the coach when they picked the school in the first place, are subjected to feeling the guilt of a grown man losing his livelihood.  That kind of mental stress should be compensated in my opinion. Especially considering the universities are making so much on these kids. According to a Time Magazine article written in September about college athletics, Michigan Wolverine Football team made the university 85.2 million dollars in 2012 Longhorns of Texas brought in 103.8 million. In basketball, Duke brought in 25 million for the university, while the Louisville Cardinals made 42.4 million for their school.

If College Football created a revenue share that was weighted like the NFL each player on the Texas A&M football team could be making 225,000 dollars per season of college football. Instead, not one player is allowed to make money off the skills that they are working so hard to craft. I think it is all-together absurd that a football team is out there generating 103 million dollars and players are risking their heads, knees and time and not getting paid through the whole process.

So what can be done?

A couple different ideas need to be put in motion. The first one being letting these young athletes market themselves. While a small percentage of college athletes go on to the pros, most of them have to figure out how to do other things, but all of them are receiving notoriety in college, and by and large they deserve to cash in on it.The fact that some big wig somewhere says Johnny Football cannot go up to a car dealer in Texas, make a deal with him to be spokesman and boost this dudes car sales for a price is stupid. If I came up with some brilliant marketing ploy to boost the sales of someone’s car lot (Which is what I would have to do, because I’ m clearly not as much of a certified bad-ass like Johnny Football), I could reap the benefits and it would be awesome.

But a popular college athlete, who only got to his/her position through hard work, cannot do the same thing, is insane.This is stupid and bad for business especially considering restaurants, bars and area business use these guys all the time for local popularity. It is honestly sickening to me.Aside from simply letting these guys market themselves and sign autographs, I think that some sort of payout system could be made. And then does not mean that they have to pay them immediately.

Why not set up a system that is more or less a trust fund. Depending on how much each sport makes for a school, an allotted percentage can be divvied out to their players in the form of a trust fund. But they can only ever receive the money if they complete a set of guidelines and stipulations. Something like:

A.      Player must graduate. (This rule would ensure that they put in time at the university and were actually part of the campus community. No love for the “one and done”.)

B.      Player maintained a clean criminal record. (We can all agree that there is far too much media that only covers players that are messing up with the law. So this would make sure that if they want to go to school and get paid afterward, they cannot be acting like hooligans.)

C.      Player must serve as school ambassador for 1 year. ( A way to give back to the school.)

D.     Player needs to pass all his or her classes (You could bump it up to a C average, but I'm okay where it is).  

You get the picture. This set up, or something similar to it, would solve my issues. It would set expectations for player behavior, and because of the need to graduate, it bring their focus back to school first. This option also gives monetary value to the hard work that a long distance runner or swimmer, or tennis player put in, in his/her 4-years at University X. It gives monetary glory to the un-glorified athletes.

What I want to see is for these opportunities for these people to cash in on the talents and skills they put so much time in crafting. They had a full-time sports job, while the normal college student drinks beer with their friends and finds out what their values are. I want them to be able to sit back after four years of hard work and have some free time to then figure out what they actually want to do, and have some money in their pocket for all the work that they have already done.

We will all keep watching if something happens or it doesn’t. But I don’t think I will ever fully enjoy it, until I see this corrupt system undressed.

So pay the kids. So they can enjoy their work as much as we do.

~Andrew

---

[1]Strrrrooong possibility on this one. 

CBB Stock Market: January 11th-12th

Looking for something else on Sports News on Tap, I found a gem called 'CBB Stock Market' which highlighted what happened on the weekend of college hoops. Sometimes I will use this space for a longer form recap, but mostly, it will be a subheading. 

BUY BUY BUY 

Wichita State Shockers - They might play in a weaker than usual Missouri Valley Conference, but they were trailing by 18 points at halftime on the road to Missouri State, and came back to beat them in overtime. That takes a great deal of mental fortitude. Wichita State is the real deal no matter what conference they are playing in this season. I am no Jerry Palm or Joe Lunardi, but I would think if Wichita State lost one or two games like St. Joesph did with that Jameer Nelson, Delonte West team did, I think this could be a two seed, borderline one seed. Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker is a great one-two punch for this team.

Iowa Hawkeyes - We criticize their coach last weekend, but Iowa got their first signature win in a long while by winning on the road against Ohio State. Hawkeyes show they are indeed legit, and deserve to be in the discussion when it comes to the top four in the Big Ten. Roy Deyvn Marble continued to get better and averaging over 16 points a game plus Aaron White is a beast inside. If they can beat Ohio State on the road, they can win anywhere in the Big Ten.  Even when their coach Fran McCaffery got ejected last Sunday, this team still hung tough with Wisconsin on the road.

Pittsburgh Panthers - I could not be happier Syracuse and Pittsburgh are now in the ACC this season. Both are head and shoulders better this season.  Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna are two guys whom have been there forever yet they are finally coming together like coach Jamie Dixon had wanted when he recruited them. Patterson was an underachieving recruit until this season where he is averaging nearly 18 points a game.  They have not had a true test yet this season, but it comes this Saturday heading to Syracuse, a place they know well then they welcome Duke to the Oakland Zoo in late January.

Arizona Wildcats - This team just keeps winning basketball games. They notched a Los Angeles sweep over the weekend by beating UCLA and USC. Arizona now heads home for three straight games over basically two weeks. There is a good chance this team might be undefeated heading into February which I feel like no one saw coming. I thought this team looked good on paper, but the question was would they come together? The latter had been a problem for former Cats team. The development of Nick Johnson is the most impressive thing about this team. Johnson's scoring is up five points and one thing forgotten this year is his free-throw percentage is up 10 percent from last season which is a huge deal with the way Johnson plays basketball. 

HOLD HOLD HOLD

Ohio State Buckeyes - I hyped up Ohio State last week only to have them lose to Michigan State and Iowa this week. For most of the game against the Spartans, they were getting their ass kicked yet they found a way to battle back to victory. You wonder if that had something to do with their poor play against Iowa. Further, I think the Iowa game is more of a reminder that no team is really safe playing at home in the Big Ten. That has not been in the case in years past. It does not get easier as they head to Minnesota this Thursday.

SELL SELL SELL 

Illinois Fightin' Illini - Sometimes when teams get ranked, they do not take it well. Illinois is one of those teams. They were absolutely boat raced by Wisconsin and then only scored 43 points in a loss to Northwestern, arguably the worst B1G team. Not ready for primetime or just an average team?  I would probably say the latter in this case. Being average in this B1G might be above average in other conferences, but they do not seem to be a team that can knock off the elite ones on the road.  

Oregon Ducks - What the hell is going on in Eugene? The Ducks have lost three straight games including two at home in the last eight days. They are not losing to the powers of the Pac-12. Now it could mean this conference is a dogfight every game out, but at the same time, Oregon should beat California and Stanford at home. They are better than that. The worrisome thing is this squad giving up 100, 96 and 82 in their last three losses. That needs to be turned around for them to start winning games again.

Duke Blue Devils - Really the same question for Duke. This team started off in the top five, and now they have hit rock bottom by losing to Clemson on Saturday. Duke really cannot play defense this season, and people are starting to figure that out. How does Coach K change things? He might be stuck in a bad spot with a bad defensive team where they can only outscore teams to win games. They play the next three of four at Cameron Indoor which could be the perfect recipe for this team to get right again.

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 
Monday: 15. Kansas at 8. Iowa State 8:00 pm ESPN

Tuesday: 3. Wisconsin at Indiana 6:00 pm ESPN, Butler at 20. Creighton 6:00 pm FOX Sports 1,
               25. Oklahoma at Kansas State 6:00 pm ESPN2

Thursday: UConn at 17. Memphis 6:00 pm ESPN, 25. UCLA at 21. Colorado 7:00 pm Pac-12 Network,
                Arizona State at 1. Arizona 8:00 pm FOX Sports 1
                11. Ohio State at Minnesota 8:00 pm ESPN2

CBB Weekend Picks: Needing a FOX Sports Stream

As I settled in to watch Marquette take on Xavier, the Butler-DePaul game was still ongoing. I thought 'Well they will probably flip us to the other game, or we will just miss a little bit of the game.' The game happened to go two overtimes, and FOX Sports 1 where the MU-Xavier game was on alerted the audience it would go to FOX Sports 2, a channel normal digital Time Warner Cable customers do not get in their package. This would not be a problem if FOX Sports had a viable streaming option, but that is not the case. This is officially a problem for FOX Sports.

If they want to contend with ESPN like they say they do, FOX needs to have a respectable streaming option. They have FOX Sports Go, but as Awful Announcing points out, this is not really a legitimate choice right now.  WatchESPN is such an awesome tool. Every game is partially on there if it is on ESPN. Sometimes they do not show ESPNU games, but other than that, if it is on ESPN, you have it a stream of it. Even the major ABC events like the NBA Finals, were on WatchESPN this past summer. FOX does not have anything close to do that, and when they tried to do it for San Francisco-Green Bay which did not work out well. When it started ESPN3 had some major issues, but it did not take long for them to fix those issues. ESPN3 made sure I could watch Marquette games when I went to Eau Claire, it was vital.

The reason why this is a problem is more and more of the younger generation do not have cable. They have Roku, Apple TV, XBox 1, Playstation 4 are all options people are using instead of paying for cable. If FOX wants to appeal to the 18-30 demo (The same demo whom has some issues with ESPN lately, see Tebow, Tim), they need to at least have a streaming option. The fact they are the last ones in the group even if CBS and NBC Sports have some flaws, they still stream a ton of their important content. FOX needs seriously improvement in this category.

Games to watch
20. Iowa at 3. Ohio State (Played Sunday) 12:30 pm CBS - One team is coming off a loss, the other team gets their fiery head coach back. First time Iowa has been on national television since the Luke Recker days? As much as the guy irks me, Iowa does not really have an answer for Aaron Craft. I think he can get his hands all in this game plus they have enough big men to compete with the Hawkeyes. OSU 74-69

25. Kansas State at 18. Kansas 1:00 pm ESPN - Big game for Kansas. They picked up a nice road win against Oklahoma this week with the Jayhawks not getting much from Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid. That's important for Kansas to win without those guys doing much. Kansas State is a little undersized and they have only won at Lawrence twice in the last 20 years. I am taking Kansas by double digits. KU 79-63
 
North Carolina at 2. Syracuse 11:00 am ESPN - I honestly do not know what to hell to think about this one. Tar Heels have beaten these teams this year but losing to slums like Miami and Wake Forest. Orange have actually beat some teams this year unlike others where they feast on cupcakes. Syracuse's zone is not as good as its been in years past yet North Carolina is going to force so many bad shots in this game. Orange pulls away in the last couple minutes of the game. CUSE 71-62

15. Colorado at Washington (Played Sunday) 2:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - This is my upset special of the weekend. Washington has six losses already meaning they need a win. Huskies pushed Arizona on the road last week, and this is their first big home opponent. Lock it up, Washington. UW 65-62

Minnesota at 3. Michigan State 1:15 pm Big Ten Network - I do not know if this will be close, but Golden Gophers start a stretch that is Sparty, Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin, all ranked three in the top ten. Best of luck Goldy. MSU 75-59

Charlie.

CBB Stock Market: January 4-5th

Looking for something else on Sports News on Tap, I found a gem called 'CBB Stock Market' which highlighted what happened on the weekend of college hoops. It was a pretty decent weekend for college basketball with a couple unbeatens going down along with a couple teams losing at home that probably should not have on Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes I will use this space for a longer form recap, but mostly, it will be a subheading. 

BUY BUY BUY 

Ohio State Buckeyes - Why is no one talking about this team? They are unbeaten and might be the best 'team' right now in college basketball. When I say 'team' I might just them as a unit versus the best players out on the court. They have a balanced scoring attack with Lenzelle Smith Jr. and LaQuinton Ross being the two top scorers for this team. While Smith and Ross are the only two averaging double-digits, they have six more averaging at least five points a game. Efficient team who has big games against Michigan State and Iowa. Excited to see how they handle both teams. 

San Diego State Aztecs - When Marquette lost to San Diego State, I felt like this could be a bad loss moving forward. Aztecs seemed like a team playing above their head, but now, I have to think this team is a legitimate contender this season. Hyperbole or not, but teams do not just go into Phog Allen Fieldhouse and win a basketball game. They made Kansas played at their pace, and on defense, they forced a ton of 3-pointers as Kansas shot 16 threes in the game only making four of them. Judging by this team's resume, it is not out of the question for them to be a top three seed if they play well in the Mountain West.  

Villanova Wildcats - Hands down, Big East favorite at least at the beginning of the year. They went into Butler earlier this week and took care of the Bulldogs in a tough overtime. Sure, Butler is not what they used to be, but that's a tough environment to win a basketball game especially coming off a road loss against Syracuse where they were outclassed in the second half. And on Sunday, they boat raced a supposedly better Providence team by 30 points at home putting up 90+ points. This is the Big East favorite until a couple teams can beat them. 

HOLD HOLD HOLD

North Carolina Tar Heels - What a confusing team. North Carolina loses their fourth game against an unranked team. This was an uninspired effort from the Tar Heels with them not getting to the line very often (7/11) and convincing themselves they could make threes when they were not falling at all.  They also had 17 turnovers. I am standing by what I said in November that North Carolina is going to be a five or sixth seed and find themselves at least in the Elite Eight or they lose in the first round. No in-between.

Jabari Parker - From a scoring standpoint, the last two games have been a struggle for the heralded freshman, but this had to be expected right?  Parker could not just fly through the season like Superman. It is just not possible. He struggled to score against Elon only having 12 points (It should not be forgotten he had 10 rebounds which is equally important), and a season-low seven against Notre Dame, a team not really known for their defense this season. There is a book on Parker, and he needs to make adjustments to his game to find more scoring.

Kansas Jayhawks - I am not ready to bury this team. Big 12 is a really good conference with the play of Baylor, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Kansas State meaning Kansas needs to figure out their freshman-led team quicker than usual yet at some point, it will come together. They are too good for it not to happen. Even if Kansas goes into the tournament at a three or four seed,  Jayhawks would be completely lethal. Soon enough, they will find a way to win one of these close games. Kansas has a massive four-game stretch starting on January 11th.

SELL SELL SELL 

Memphis Tigers - Oh Memphis. I wanted to believe in this team. I saw them against Florida and then they beat Oklahoma State the second time around, it seemed like a different team. They really should put paper in front of their nickname. They got their asses kicked at home to a good yet beatable Cincinnati team. I have no idea why their guards kept trying to throw things at Justin Jackson only to get blocked. Josh Pastner's seat moved from lukewarm to suddenly warmer in the last couple days. 

Fran McCaffery - If you missed it yesterday, Iowa's head coach lost his shit costing his team the game against Wisconsin. Iowa was up 41-39 before the double technical foul on McCaffery and after it, Iowa never led after it. Four points is all it took for Wisconsin to win this game which was equally the two technical fouls. Nothing is wrong being a fiery coach, but if you do, it needs to be controlled and not screaming at officials like a drill sargent. My assumption is he will miss two or three games for bumping an official meaning he could miss games against Northwestern, Ohio State and Minnesota.

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK 
Tuesday: 7. Baylor at 9. Iowa State 6:00 pm ESPN2,  3. Ohio State at 5. Michigan State 8:00 pm
Wednesday: 23. Illinois at 4. Wisconsin 8:00 pm Big Ten Network
Thursday: 24. Memphis at 12. Louisville 6:00 pm ESPN,  1. Arizona at UCLA 8:00 pm ESPN

Charlie. 

Sugar Bowl Thoughts & Weekend Bowl Predictions

Well folks, that does it for me in Sports News On Tap confidence pool. I put a great deal of faith in Baylor, Arizona State and Alabama, and that we have lost all three games meaning my stellar record is tanking faster than half the NBA. This usually happens with Sportandfashion-news contests. I come very close to not giving away any money and then somehow I end up giving the little money I have away to someone.  Hopefully tonight's games and this weekend's go better for me, but before we make those picks, I did have a few thoughts on Oklahoma stunning upset of Alabama.

I did not give Oklahoma a chance. Oklahoma fans did not really give this team a chance. No one saw this coming (I am sure some smartass picked it), but seriously, what a complete stunner. Oklahoma looked like a top five team in the country last night, and considering they struggled against Texas and Baylor in major ways, it is amazing to see this team develop into something special. Trevor Knight looks to be first great Oklahoma quarterback in awhile. He can do it all, and I came away utterly impressed with the way he threw the deep ball. No reason why the Sooners should not be in the top 10 to begin the 2014 season.

As for Alabama, it is the first time they have lost consecutive games since 2008. Alabama had five turnovers, and they looked like a completely different team that did not belong out there. A.J. McCarron needs to rethink his Senior Bowl decision because this would not be the way I want to go out. I have no idea why Derrick Henry only had eight carries since he had 100 years plus he also added 61 yards of receiving. Maybe the future is bright with their backfield, but it is pretty clear this Alabama team was certainly not one of their best ones.

AT&T Cotton Bowl 
13.) Oklahoma State vs. 11.) Missouri 6:30 pm FOX - With how the SEC and Big 12 looked this week, I do not know what to think about this game. Like no idea whatsoever. Oklahoma State is one team I have been wrong about for the entire season. Same goes for Missouri. It is like 'Laugh in Charlie's face bowl.' Here what it comes down... Do I believe the Tigers' inability to stop the run against Auburn what they truly are or was it just a mirage? As for Oklahoma State, they can move the ball with the best of them and occasionally they can play some defense. I like this Cowboys team a little more than Missouri. Close and fun game. OK STATE 45-38  

Orange Bowl 
12.) Clemson vs. 7.) Ohio State 7:30 ESPN - Fun game. I had someone shit on this game, and I had no idea why because this should be a pretty fun game if you like offense. I could see if you want to see some defense how this one could be bad because this is not happening. Ohio State will be without two of their best defensive players Bradley Roby and Noah Spence, one out with injury and one out with suspension. This does not help things. This is the last game for Tajh Boyd's illustrious career at Clemson, and you have to think Chad Morris will find a way to make this a memorable one for him. Like peeing your pants in the sixth grade, we do not forget Clemson had 70 points put on them last time at the Orange Bowl.  Urban Meyer has only lost once in his bowl career which you know what that means? He prepares really well for this games. Ohio State with a close shootout win. OSU 52-48

BBVA Compass Bowl (Saturday) 
Vanderbilt vs. Houston 12:00 pm ESPN - I think it is a complete slap in the face that Vanderbilt is even in this bowl. I do not think you will get many disinterested Commodores in this one. Rather they will played pissed off and dominate a Houston team who has not beat anyone worth nothing. VAND 41-14

GoDaddy Bowl (Sunday) 
Arkansas State vs. Ball State 8:00 ESPN - WE GET FOOTBALL ON SUNDAY NIGHT YAAAIS pitting the Sun Beast versus MACtion which is quite the dilemma on who to pick. I think the answer is Ball State as they held it close against bowl teams plus I do not really like a team who lost two games inside the Sun Beast. BSU 40-21

Charlie.

The College Football Change

There are three things that happened or are currently rumored to be happening in college football that in a weird, convoluted way tie together. It is quite possible that I am reaching here, but I really truly believe they are all one in the same when discussing Jameis Winston's Heisman win, Clarett's documentary and the rumors of highly-touted draft picks staying at school.  

Jameis Winston took home the Heisman Trophy becoming the youngest Heisman winner and the second straight Freshman to do it. Many people wondered given the off-the-field issues if Winston would have a close challenger, but instead, he blew them out like Florida State did to many of their opponents. Watching him against Pittsburgh to open up the year in primetime, you could tell the kid was special. I remember having a fantasy draft that night and attempted to talk about him only to get shut down which is fine yet I knew people would realize how good of a player Jameis Winston is and will be for the time the come. 

Winston looks like a player that could honestly go to the league next May.  He is only a redshirt freshman, but there is no question Winston has the size and stature to join the National Football League next season. People will probably ask on Twitter for the entire draft process 'What would it look like if Jameis was in the draft?' It is stupid to think about right now. Yet the thought will probably be enhanced due to a fantastic 30 for 30 documentary ran on Maurice Clarrett after the Heisman. If you remember Clarett challenged college football's rules on their draft rule and nearly won although as the documentary pointed out, he left Ohio State because the administration forced him out instead of just going pro. 

Given with what happened with Johnny Manziel and what's already happened with Winston, I am already wondering what his off-season could entail especially if they win the National Championship over Auburn. My friend Eric has this theory about college quarterbacks that if they win a Heisman, National Championship, there is no reason to stay in school because you have hit the peak of the college career. I could see Winston's sophomore year to be judged with a just as microscope as Manziel. So is there a chance Winston tries to make an attempt at challenging the NFL's rules? Most likely not, but Winston unlike Clarett has an out... professional baseball.  

Winston played on Florida State's baseball team last season and was a contributor on the team as he was both an outfielder and a relief pitcher. I am not saying Winston would do this, but why would not Winston go pro in baseball for a summer if he were drafted. The MLB Draft happens in June and I am willing to bet some team does draft Jameis in the late rounds because there are so many throwaway rounds. Winston could play some baseball over the summer whilst getting a marginal paycheck then train for the National Football League for the 2015 NFL Draft.  While it is highly unlikely Winston will do this, it is still not out of the realm of possibilities. Although what's weird is there is a complete other side of the coin, highly touted quarterback are staying or very much considering staying at school. 

Marcus Mariota already announced he is going to come back school playing another year for Oregon even though he would probably be a top three pick.  Matt Miller of Bleacher Report and others have been saying Teddy Bridgewater is leaning to return as Louisville brings a ton back and given their move to the ACC, the Cardinals could make a legitimate title run. Manziel, a guy whom caught maybe the most flack of anyone in college football, says he might return if the draft grade is not a first round pick. While there might be people like Clarett out there, it seems more than ever, people want to return to college. The question is why?  

I think of two things

1.) The money is not there like it used to be for athletes. With the new NFL CBA, it is not like college kids can bank in Sam Bradford money any more when they come to professional football. Now, they will still make more cash than the broken NCAA yet the fact still remains the money is not there as much as it has been in years past. 

 2.) Take away the summer of Manziel, most of these men are treated like kings at school. They do not face the criticism as a Geno Smith or a Robert Griffin III is getting right now in the obsessive 24/7 media. If they stay in school, criticism might be there at least from a national scope but the people of Eugene, Louisville and College Station bow to them and yes that's a problem yet it is a different topic for another time. Could this mean maybe Winston stays past his three years? Possibly, but more than ever, it is not a guarantee people are leaving when the outside world thinks it is a given. 

College football's overall landscape has changed. Clarett in 2002 was not even nominated for Heisman. He did not make the top ten. Would this happen today?  Probably not. Carson Palmer had a huge year and probably still wins Heisman given Clarett missing a couple games but for him not to be one of the ten best players is a crime. Also in 2002, Mariota, Bridgewater and Manziel would not even think about coming back to school for another year. In a weird way, somehow this all seems to fit together. 

Charlie. 

DOY: Sam Thompson

There is no question who is the king of college dunkers. Sam Thompson of Ohio State holds the title belt, and he will probably never give it up until he leaves school. The man is a complete high flyer. Thompson had two more big dunks last night in Buckeyes win against North Dakota State. One of them was a complete DOY as a North Dakota State defender had no idea it was coming. It had to be an 'Oh shit' moment when he saw Thompson barreling down the lane because the pain was coming. The Ohio State junior had 12 points in a 79-62 win against the Bison. (H/T @Land-Grant Holy Land)

Coach Matta on your what Amir Williams?

It has been in awhile since we have got a good flub by a player after a game. They are literally the best. I cannot remember one being not funny. After Ohio State dismantled the mighty Bryant College, 86-48, center Amir Williams spoke to Jim Jackson and obviously, head coach Thad Matt has been on his case lately. You could also use a body part instead of 'case' which Amir goes with here. Since we are wondering Amir Williams had 12 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. (H/T @DrewUnga, @MrArvinger) 

Absolutely classic. If you read Mark Titus' book, you know Coach Matta is actually pretty funny dude, and he will probably take this in stride. Since we are here and talking about flubs, Shaquille O'Neal after a loss to Portland Trail Blazers is forever a classic.